Labor's Edge: Views from the California Labor Movement

California EMS Workers Deliver Petition to Protect Standards

Emergency medical service providers save lives every day—and right now they’re struggling to save their own livelihoods, so they can keep doing this crucial work.

Northern California EMS professionals at American Medical Response (AMR) have worked without a contract since the beginning of this month, and so far their efforts at the bargaining table were met with resistance by their employer. That’s why members are voting this week to give the bargaining unit strike authorization.

Last Monday morning, EMS professionals across Northern California marched to the AMR offices to tell management they won’t back down. They carried with them the signatures of 1,100 of their colleagues who stand with their bargaining team.

This week’s vote will show management that EMS professionals in Northern California are serious about protecting their rights and dignity on the job. These workers already faced years of wage stagnation and cutbacks, and they won’t take it any longer.

Rebecca Ayers, an EMT in Yolo County:

What’s at stake here is everything that’s in our contract. It’s everything that we strive to do, everything we strive to be. We want to be recognized as a profession, not just a job.